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Garraunbaun is the 912th highest place in Ireland. Garraunbaun is the most southerly summit and also the second most westerly in the Slieve Bloom area. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/800/?PHPSESSID=4bvmlb3e1k9ccqslkqfkfs2382

Yesterday was almost a year to the day since the last post on Garraunbaun. I found my way to the gates referred to by peterturner at approx S181 960B. They clearly state No Unauthorised Access. I wanted to head up Garraunbaun this way and continue on over to Farbreague. Where there is a will there is a wicklore so I headed back down the road to find someone to ask permission for access. At the first house on the right as I headed back down I saw a bright yellow car with the logo of a stone-selling company on it. Remembering csd’s post about a quarrying operation at the summit I called to the house. No answer, but I rang the phone number on the car and lo and behold someone answered. (on a Sunday!) I got permission for Authorised Access with the warning that I stay well away from any machinery or the quarry itself. Leaving the car at the gates I walked up the track in about 20 minutes. It is completely churned up in places by the quarry trucks, and I passed endless bags of quarried rock waiting to be sold. I will give the name of this company to any serious walkers who wish to also ask for access, and who will respect the access given. Having said that, it is hard to have respect for what has happened to Garraunbaun. The turf operation looks like it has finished but the endless rows of turf seen in csd’s photo have been left to rot back into the ground. Plenty of stone quarrying is in evidence to the west of the summit, and around the broad summit area itself is the decomposing rows of turf. Also part of the summit area has been scraped away, perhaps for future quarrying. This apocalyptic scene is compounded by the bizarre site of a caravan on its side next to the mobile phone mast and a truck. (see photo) I would question whether the highest point needs to be revised for Garraunbaun. The surface being dug up has resulted in large mounds of turf piled up around the broad summit. I took a few gps readings, but what I thought was the highest point was 303 metres from the database figure when I tried to upload it. I have input a second reading that I took on the way to Farbreague but I am not convinced it is the summit. I think the highest point could be atop one of the churned up turf mounds. That’s all I wanted to say about Garraunbaun. Not a beautiful summit by any means, but that’s not her fault. I hope she doesn’t have to wait another year for someone to care enough to write about her again. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/800/comment/3690/